The funny thing is that either argument is largely self-referential. Why is the British Museum the safest place for the treasures of Egypt? Because the experts are at the British Museum. All well and good, but it's fairly likely that if they were centralized in Cairo that there would be experts in the preservation and security of antiquities there as well or perhaps instead.

This is not to say that I believe that everything should remain in the hands of the culture/region that produced it. There's a great deal to be said for cultural exchange and the understanding that comes from it. I do think that it's absurd that a number of cultures, simply by virtue of having been occupied during the age of imperialism, are now forced to travel to 'The West' in order to view their own history.

I just keep imagining just how angry Americans would be if the Declaration of Independence had been captured and was now on display in the British Museum...